Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leader for having a debate on the Horse and Greyhound Fund Regulations 2013, which is important. That is the way we should do our business in future and I know the Leader has committed to scrutinising some of these reports.

On my behalf and that of my party, I would like to say how shocked and disgusted we were with the findings of the Smithwick report. All of us need time to read the report in full and I know the Leader will provide time in the future for a reasoned debate on it. Having said that, none of us should lose sight of the tens of thousands of members of An Garda Síochána who served this State with distinction over the years. The report highlights one individual who Judge Smithwick believes colluded with the Provisional IRA and members of the republican movement in the murders of Harry Breen and Bob Buchanan but that is something we will debate further. As I said, thousands of gardaí have served this State and protected it against the Provisional IRA and the republican movement over decades and many gave their lives in the service of this State. We should always bear that in mind. One individual has done a lot of damage to the reputation of the force.

What further concerns me from reading the summary of the report is that members of the IRA, many of whom are members of Sinn Féin, did not give evidence to the tribunal in public. Their evidence was frankly pathetic. In an interview on Newstalk this morning, Deputy Gerry Adams further exacerbated the problem when he effectively put the blame for the murders of Buchanan and Breen down to the fact that they needed to be careful about their security. That is an absolutely outrageous and disgusting remark from a leader of the Sinn Féin movement, many members of which served in the IRA. As we all know, Deputy Gerry Adams, the leader of Sinn Féin, was a member of the IRA, and a significant leader in it. From his operational activities, he probably would know these two officers, who were carrying out their duty as officers of the law in Northern Ireland, needed to be more careful about their security. These two men were nothing short of murdered by the IRA. I am certain that the people who carried out these murders are well known to Deputy Gerry Adams and senior members of Sinn Féin.

Our thoughts today are with the families of Chief Superintendent Breen and Superintendent Buchanan because I have no doubt the publication of this report will bring back some awful memories and feelings about the tragedy of the murders in south Armagh. I am certain the Leader will address this but I ask that we have time for a full debate.

I commend Judge Smithwick on all the work he has done over the years to produce this report. The establishment of the tribunal was worthwhile. We need to look at areas where this State might have failed but let us not lose sight of the fact it was effectively fighting for its survival in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s against subversives in the Provisional IRA, many of who are now sitting in the Oireachtas. Will the Leader provide time for a full debate when we have had the chance to read the report in full and consider its implications?